Ingrown nail?

Question
My rabbit is VERY feisty when it comes to cutting his nails and I know I need to cut them but I try to avoid it as much as possible. Today I let him out of his cage and he was not using his right front paw. I looked at and the skin around one of his nails is inflamed.  It's very red and swollen looking.  Is this something that will get better?  Is there anything I can do for him or do I need to have it looked at?

Thanks!

Answer
Dear Brandy,

Is there still a nail attached to that toe?  If not, he may have torn it off, having caught an overlong nail on carpet, wire, or other surface.  It's important to keep your bunny's nails trimmed to avoid accidents.

If the nail is intact, there could still be an injury.  I would get bun to a good rabbit vet:

www.rabbit.org/vets

to have the toe examined to be sure there's no sign of infection that might need treatment with antibiotics, lest it become very serious.  If the pain is enough to make your bunny not use that toe, he probably also could use some pain medication, so please ask the vet about that, too. (But don't use anything without consulting a vet, as many medications safe for humans or other species are NOT safe for rabbits.)

I hope this helps.

Dana